Tag Archives: staff

WPSD staff turnover after the ’22-23 school year

Many community members have been concerned about the effect this board and superintendent might have on the staff in the district…we all asked, how many would leave after this past school year? And would the district be able to replace them (as it turns out, it’s having a hard time of that part, with 16 teacher positions still unfilled at this moment). I wanted to get the facts out on this topic, but found it surprisingly difficult to get a concrete number. So let me explain the data I’m about to present.

At first, myself and others tracked resignations via word of mouth, but I quickly realized that was unreliable data. So, the data here depends almost exclusively on the meeting minutes from board meetings going back to December (those meeting minutes include staff resignations, retirements, and new hires). The only exception is some resignations announced since the last board meeting in June. Staff hired anytime in 2023 have not been included in these calculations.

The other side of it, and an unexpected complication, was determining exactly how many people actually work in the district. For that we scraped data from the district website at the end of February, and combined it with a more comprehensive data set that was obtained towards the end of the school year. That last data set quickly proved to be too broad, including some people no longer with the district, and some known substitute teachers.

Bottom line is, this data is 99% accurate but may have an error or two. If the district publishes their own data, I’ll readily post an update to these numbers. Also, there may yet be further resignations before the new school year starts, so final numbers will be posted in late August. Lastly, I thought it useful to show two bits of data…the percent of teachers leaving the school at the end of last year, as well as the overall percent of staff (including teachers) leaving.

That said, how have the board and superintendent’s actions impacted staffing levels in our district? I found it most useful to break this down on a school by school basis. As you can see, a Summit and Columbine have weathered this storm well. Gateway is absolutely devastated…the school that received the Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award this past spring is effectively an all-new school this year. The middle school and high school also each lost a very large percentage.

Of course, the question on everyone’s mind is, is this normal?

Insiders tell me it’s far from normal, but I do like data, so I dove into the data the CDE makes readily available and came up with a chart. It shows turnover is typically around 15-19%, and there was a weird spike in the COVID years – I don’t know what to make of that, except that those years were full of abnormalities across this country in societal trends (and with remote learning that year, I suspect many of the district positions were cut? I’m not certain). With the COVID year uncertainty, I instead compare this past year with the years previous, which shows the fears of a teacher exodus were well founded (last year was showing a small uptick, but nothing compared to this year).

To interpret that data – when it says ’23-24 compared with ’22-23, what that means is how many teachers or staff in the ’22-23 school year did not return for the ’23-24 school year.

Once the school year starts, we’ll have a final tally and I’ll update this then.

To protect teacher privacy, I will not be releasing my spreadsheet summary of the data as it includes all staff names, but I will share it with any legitimate reporters who are interested. You can reach me using the contact form on this website.

Staffing updates for ’23-24 WPSD school year

With 57 current job openings in the district and a hostile administration due to Ken Witt’s leadership, there’s a lot of concern about whether those openings will be filled. We’re learning some things from district insiders that’s worth sharing. This information comes from various sources and does not have direct evidence to back it up, though looking at the job openings as well as resignations to date goes a long way towards substantiating the claims.

  • Both registered nurses are leaving, but there’s only one new job opening posted.
  • The special ed programs are being severely impacted. At Gateway, the mild moderate teacher resigned, autism (PLACE) program K-6 and early childhood teachers resigned, social worker resigned, one special ed early childhood teacher signed, and so there are currently NO special ed teachers for grades K-6 at Gateway. At Columbine, the mild moderate special ed teacher resigned, the affective needs teacher resigned, a school social worker resigned, and there are currently NO special ed teachers left at Columbine. At the middle school, the affective needs teacher left, and they are not planning to hire an affective needs teacher to replace that position, the mild moderate disabilities teacher resigned, a school social worker resigned, and two special ed teachers resigned remain (one significant support needs teacher and one mild moderate needs teacher). No special ed teachers have resigned from WPHS and Summit Elementary, according to sources inside the district.
  • The PLACE Programs and the Affective Needs Program are Center Based Programs. These programs serve students under the Ute Pass BOCES school districts of WPSD, Cripple Creek Victor Schools and Manitou Springs School District and were originally established to help all three districts consolidate specialized services and staff to central locations. These programs were created by YEARS of hard work and VERY dedicated staff. Every single staff member who left sited the current board and superintendent as their reasons for leaving. All special education programs require teachers to be highly qualified in their area of expertise. In a good year, these positions are difficult to fill. As of this past week, there had been no applicants to fill these positions. Public schools are required to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education to all special education students. Special Education students and their parents deserve answers NOW as to how the board and the superintendent in this district plan to solve these very serious problems caused by their words and actions.
  • Due to the massive exodus at Gateway Elementary, both Columbine and Summit are being “requested” to move one of their teachers to Gateway to help fill that gap. We hear rumors of other teachers being forced to change positions in the district, too.
  • The High School is rumored to be shifting the role of counselors in the building…they won’t be hiring mental health professionals as counselors, but will instead focus these roles as ‘academic advisors’ (the state of Colorado doesn’t require counselors to be mental health professionals).

A WPSD job applicant explains their decision to cancel their interview

We recently received this email, sent to the district from a job applicant who decided to cancel their interview at the last minute. The email explains their reasoning, and highlights a concern that parents in this district have – with 40-50% of staff not returning next year, how will the district attract qualified candidates to fill those vacancies?

The applicant’s name has been redacted for privacy; authenticity of this has been verified with school insiders.

The reply from director David Illingworth is below:

What’s Lost When a Teacher Leaves a School | EdSurge News

The teacher pipeline is no longer leaking. With enrollment in traditional teacher education programs declining nationwide in the past few years, it is drying up at an alarming rate.

As the nation grapples with the profound effects these challenges have on school communities, the term “learning loss” has made its way into the spotlight. This term is commonly used in stories detailing what children across America lost during remote learning. It focuses primarily on how students have fallen behind in core academic areas such as reading and math, which is of course a critical issue. The trouble is, the term doesn’t represent the complexity of what students, families and school communities experience with teacher turnover.
— Read on www.edsurge.com/news/2023-05-05-what-s-lost-when-a-teacher-leaves-a-school

Resignation letter – Laura O’Connell

As reposted on Facebook:

May 7th, 2023
Mr. Witt,
I am writing this letter to inform you of my resignation from the School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP) Coordinator position for Woodland Park School District. My last day will be the final day of my current contract, June 30, 2023. This decision has been reached for a variety of reasons, all directly related to the actions of the current WPSD Board of Education, but the two most recent occurrences in our district finalized my choice to resign.
First, as I read the contract of employment offered to me by Woodland Park School District last week, I was taken aback that it stated, “The District, or its representatives, has explained the School District mission, philosophy, and goals and the Employee has expressed a commitment to work for the District in accordance with such requirements.” Neither the district nor a representative had explained these things to me, so I reached out to Mr. Salt asking for this explanation to take place. After not hearing from him for days, I chose to reflect on the actions of the board in an attempt to understand their mission, philosophy, and goals on my own:
Through this reflection I have determined that their mission, as evidenced by their actions, is to defund traditional public schools, funnel the money into charter schools who do not have to be accountable to the taxpayers, and into the outstretched hands of their wealthy friends, yourself included. I am sure that is upsetting for you to hear. However, as someone who has spent countless years to achieve and continue to increase my knowledge and credentials in an effort to ensure I was able serve young people to the best of my ability, I have no other way to rectify a superintendent, with less credentials than the majority of the WPSD staff, working part time making a full superintendent’s salary. I also believe the Board’s actions have shown a strong mission to devalue the education profession as evidenced through the constant bullying of high-caliber, deeply caring teachers, and administrators, as well as the environment of fear they, and now you, have intentionally curated within the schools. I entered education with the understanding that our children deserve more in terms of funding, not less, and the belief that our educators are a unique gift to our society in that they love, think about, give to, and hope for each and every child as if they were their own. Therefore, I cannot ethically and in good conscience help this board achieve their missions, as shown by their actions.
Upon reflection of the actions of this Board of Education, I also determined that the Board’s philosophy is that lower-level learning will somehow lead to higher levels of achievement, and that education is nothing but a business to profit from, with children being nothing but products. I have reviewed the American Birthright Standards, and as a person who holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, my expert analysis is that these standards will only lead to the memorization of basic facts, with little chance that knowledge will be retained through higher levels of thinking such as analysis, application, and evaluation of how history can be compared to current events. As for my conclusion that this Board views the education of children as a business, this is derived through statements made by the BOE, and most recently stated by you in a meeting with WPSD educators. I entered education with the understanding
that it is a public service, not a business, with the desired outcome being that each individual and thus society may reach its highest potential. As a result, I cannot ethically and in good conscience commit to helping this BOE lower the bar for learning and turn children into business products.
Lastly, through my reflection of their actions, I determined that the BOE’s goals are to do whatever it takes, including committing what I genuinely believe would be considered crimes if they were fully investigated, to ensure that their personal agendas are realized. In my opinion, these crimes include large sums of money paid to people such as yourself and Mr. Miller for little work, and the possibility that the Board hid that Mr. Illingworth physically trapped Dr. Neal in his office and refused to allow him to leave, resulting in a hefty sum being paid to Dr. Neal. Also, the fact that Mr. Miller can be heard on audio recording telling the Board that they do not have to be transparent with their constituents, and the use of apps that delete communications to circumvent the Open Meetings Laws. It is obvious to me that these heinous behaviors are utilized to achieve an equally immoral goal of ensuring that each student and staff member in our schools thinks, believes, and acts as this Board does. This is also evidenced through the board pushing their religious and political beliefs onto our school community, censoring or limiting access to ideas, beliefs, and perspectives that are different than their own, limiting self-expression, and their apparent attempts to end critical thinking, civic participation, and supports for those students outside what they consider the norm. In my mind if these goals were met, children would either 1) become white supremacist and exhibit cult like behavior, incapable of critical thought, or 2) if not white, straight, Christian, or otherwise willing to go along with the demands of this board, they would learn to hate themselves. With no mental health support to help them overcome the damage done by this type of group thinking that the board wishes to impose on students, the outcomes will be catastrophic for our young people. I entered education with the belief that ALL children contain infinite potential and worth, and therefore, deserve an equitable education that honors their unique identities, personalities, gifts, cultures, and families. I also believe, and have witnessed, that the world is a better place when the next generation is taught to think for themselves and challenge the status quo. Therefore, I cannot ethically or in good conscience commit to helping this BOE achieve their goals.
The second most recent occurrence that has led to my final decision to resign, is the announcement by the district that they would be buying memberships into the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE). Upon being informed of this I immediately reached out to Mrs. Gonzales to ask if I would be able to opt out of this membership, to which I was informed that the district would be paying for the membership regardless. In my opinion, this is contrary to the freedom that this BOE touts as one of their main beliefs. While PACE may claim to be a “non-union” and non-partisan, they are an association just like the Woodland Park Educator’s Association (WPEA). They lobby at the state capital for change, and their parent organization lobbies at the Capitol. Members pay dues to pay for these activities to take place. They are a union. But unlike WPEA, the district is forcing all WPSD staff into membership into this union. A union that lobbies for the defunding of traditional public education under the guise of “school choice,” much like this BOE is currently doing, the end of SEL and a focus on
mental health in schools, and the end of collective bargaining for teachers. These are all beliefs that do not align with my values. As a result, I will not have my name added to PACE’s membership roster, nor monies paid on my behalf to further their political agendas. To be clear, Woodland Park School District, its Board of Education, or any of the district’s representatives do not have my consent to give PACE, or any affiliated individuals or organizations, my personal information, including my name, nor give PACE, or any affiliated individuals or organizations, monies on my behalf. If the PACE memberships will be bought prior to the final date of my contract, and WPSD is inclined to give my information as a current employee, my last day of employment will be the day prior to any such membership being bought.
In closing, I would just like to say that I feel an immense amount of gratitude for my years as an educator in Woodland Park School District. Administrators such as Yvonne Going, Erin Street, Nicole Geniesse, Kevin Burr, and Tina Cassens challenged me to always do what is best for students, to partner with parents every step of the way, to value data over opinion or any personal bias, and to constantly reflect in an effort to be better than I was the day before. My colleagues supported me in my endeavor to be the best educator I could be, because that is what our students deserved, and lifted me up in ways too numerous to count when life threw curveballs. I am grateful for the families I was lucky enough to partner with, who trusted me as a professional with their children and refused to settle for anything other than seeking their children’s highest potential. Last, but definitely not least, I am grateful for my students, who, little did they know, were teaching me far more than is likely I taught them, and who I am a better person for having gotten to know, and for getting a front row seat to watch grow. I hope that my, and other WPSD staffs’, unwavering belief in them will be more prominent than any of the indoctrination and thought-limiting policies and ideas this board forces upon them.
Prior to this Board of Education and its current representatives, Woodland Park School District, was a wonderful place to work, live, and grow. We strived every day to see, hear, and love each and every child, and I watched them bloom in incredible ways as a result. I am thankful for those years and look forward to that work continuing in communities across the state and nation as nearly half of the Panther staff find new homes to do this work without the immoral, criminal, fear-cultivating behavior of this Board of Education and its representatives.
Laura O’Connell

The WPSD exodus begins

We’ve feared what impact this board, and especially interim superintendent Ken Witt, would have on staff in the Woodland Park School District RE-2. Last year, we saw the beginnings of that…and this year, we need to call this what it is: a mass exodus of instructional talent leaving this district.

Having a student in the High School here I’m a bit biased and focused on that school, so forgive me that, but let’s talk about that High School. Normally, staff turnover would be no more than 5%. We’re in mid March, and already, turnover is at 25% (where will we end up by summer?). The overwhelming majority of those leaving mention the board and interim superintendent are creating an untenable circumstance for them to continue. It is possible that seven different AP courses are affected by these resignations…replacement teachers for those are not straightforward and will require extra training ($$ for the AP side of things, and the college MA degrees that would yield concurrent and dual credit for students).

How will the district attract qualified teachers to fill these open positions? How many teachers will want to accept a position in a school district that is, by anyone’s measure, chaotic and unsettled (to put it mildly)? The board states that one of their core beliefs is, “Developing professional educators that engage and inspire students through positive ethical leadership.” They are not developing professional educators…they are driving them out.

This school board and superintendent have massively failed at their most important task, managing the public schools to foster a safe, stable place of learning for our students.